There comes a time when every website needs an overhaul, and to be honest, my website passed that some time ago. There are many reasons to overhaul a website, but perhaps the most important one is to shift away from old software and onto a more reliable modern platform.
Certainly, the old website design (although updated often) was reaching an unsustainable level of complexity for what was, and will remain, a simple website. There were modifications and extensions to the core of the system, and the theme had been updated (and botched) into place so many times, that updating everything became more of a liability. And so, we start anew.
Another key consideration draws on the idea of “periods of your life”, “chapters”, or what-have-you. I’m coming to the end of my thesis research, which I’m writing up at the moment, and I’m now thinking of where I want to be in a few years. In doing this, I realise how many opportunities and ideas I have that I simply don’t pursue. One of these is the idea of communicating with others both inside and outside of academia. Although I’ve done the odd academic conference and public engagement event, it’s time to step it up. I have ideas, thoughts, and opinions, and I now feel more confident about discussing them publicly (something I never did earlier on in my PhD).
So this redesigned website serves two purposes, to clear away the cobwebs from the website software, and to challenge me to talk more publicly about research, academia, and technology.
There are still some things that need to be fixed with the design that I’ll hopefully fix over the next day or two. Some things haven’t changed, at least.
Originally posted at https://www.porcheron.uk/post/new-beginnings
